You’re In Christ… But Are You Growing?

July 15, 2017

As a believer one of the obstacles we have to consistently overcome is stagnation. This occurs when there is no movement, growth or development, and it is clearly the opposite of who God is. The One who is constantly moving and progressing His people and has been working His plan of redemption since the beginning of time. No, there is nothing stagnant about Him. But what often happens is we get lackadaisical, distracted, or complacent in our relationship with God.

These three things are danger zones on this Christian walk, and detrimental to growth. We cannot be satisfied with just reading cookie cutter devotionals every morning while we drink coffee, or with Sunday morning service or Wednesday night bible study once or twice a week. We have to push past praying only when we’re in need or basic plans that tell us what four verses to read each day. I encourage you to put more time and effort into getting to know the Lord. If we’re not growing then where are we going? It won’t be very far without growth. A relationship with God is one that will always meet your needs and keep you moving forward in the right direction. But in order to achieve this growth in Christ is essential. Here are three personal benefits that always make it worth your time.

I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t want to see progress in some area of their life. I love the fact that with God we can (3John 1:2). God will cause you to prosper in more areas than just your finances. As He gives you wisdom and favor your marriage will prosper, your children, relationships, business, career etc… You will see your life begin to improve right before your eyes. But most importantly you will increase in your knowledge of His Word. You will develop a greater understanding, come to know His will better and also have a clearer view of who He is.

Why do we need strength each day? If only we could ask the divorcee, the suicide victim, the alcoholic or the drug addict. Life has a way of sending things that have the potential to destroy a person or cause one to give up and lose all hope. Certain issues that arise don’t have us tiptoeing through the tulips. In order to have a marriage that spans a lifetime or juggle motherhood and a job as a single, or to overcome health problems or hard testing times we need God’s supernatural strength. We need His joy; which the Bible says is our strength (Neh 8:10).

As you grow in Him you’ll find that your dependency upon Him also increases. And there is no one fully reliable like the Lord. If you have not found that out yet… you will. He catches us when we fall, and encourages us when we’re down (Ps 3:3). Because of Him many have the testimony that they didn’t pull the trigger on themselves, never picked up the joint, turned up the bottle, or walked away from their marriage. Indeed, we do need His strength. Seeking Him is the way to receive it.

The most important reason of all to mature in this relationship is to become more like Christ. We are imperfect beings. Though I’d love to say that I’m perfect and never make mistakes… I’m just going to choose not to lie about it. The point is we all make mistakes, and we often have things in our hearts that shouldn’t be. But then… here is Christ; our perfect and holy example. He lived what He taught us. He lived the Word out before men (John 1:1). He showed us how to do things, taught us right from wrong, and as we move forward in our relationship with Him and apply His teachings we become more like He is. Any traits we have that are not like Him are removed, and we take on the traits that are like Him. That is the greatest reason to keep moving forward.

We must have a relationship with God where we are learning, growing and developing. This is what leads to progress in each area of our lives, provides the strength needed to get through any situation, and prepares us for the day of His return, that we may be found acceptable to Him.

I hope this has helped you see the importance of progressing in your walk with Jesus. Next week I’ll share tips on how to go about doing just that! Until then…

Take Care Loves!

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I'm Ronnie and welcome to LadyEvolves, my lovely corner on the web. A daughter of God first, wife and mother second; I’m a perfect example of imperfection. I’ve been through a lot, learned a lot, and grown a lot and this is where I come to share. Here you will find thoughts, moments, and lessons learned from this journey I'm on called life. I welcome you to join me as we talk about life, love, self growth and Jesus. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @ladyevolves, and let's grow together.

12 comments

I love this, you spoke right to my heart. I have been feeling this way for a little bit now. I am praying about leaving our church, because I feel like I am not growing there. It makes me so sad to consider, because I love it. But I know my growth is more important than my comfort.

I have been there,Terryn. I understand. Growth isn’t optional. I want to encourage you to keep asking God and He will lead you to the church home He wants you in. When I was praying for a church home it took over a year before God led us to where we are. That was 2 yrs ago. And we have grown and learned so much through the teaching we receive. So, the wait was worth it and I knew it was the right choice because as soon as we joined (after visiting and praying for 8 months) amazing things took place in our lives, finances, marriage, relationship with Christ etc… Hang in there! And may it be in His perfect timing.

I have to agree with you. Devotionals are great but they are not a substitute for growing in the Word and for spending time with God. I tend to use devotionals to give direction to my thought and help me to quickly find bible verses to help me through issues I may be working on.

Absolutely Jen, there are definitely ways they can be useful. When we are more genuine in our pursuit of Christ we can get so much more out of our time with Him. It sounds like you have found a great use for devotionals. I may have to give that a try myself! Thanks for your comment!

This is so true. My biggest challenge as a Christian is fighting stagnation. It’s so easy to get comfortable where you are instead of pushing forward. What encourages me the most though, as you said: the closer we grow to Christ the more we become like him. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Natanja! I believe if we were all honest that would be true for everyone. Simply because getting “used to something” is what humans do. Even in marriage you have to work to keep things fresh, vibrant, passionate… Same for our relationship with the Lord. Thanks for your comment! May your passion stay on fire for Him!

Great Post I agree fully. It is very easy to become complacent in our walk with God. I know personally the struggle of rushing through a quick Psalm or reading those devotionals that direct me to read 4 verses. There is a difference between that and a true relationship with God, which He desires. Thanks for writing this. It was well said!

Oh,super easy, Josephine! I’ve experienced it as well. Life gets in the way or problems distract us. It’s nice to be reminded that all great relationships take effort; our relationship with God included! Thanks for your comment!

Thank you for writing this. I am 21 years old and I can see how my relAtionship with God is like a rollercoaster. The beginning of the summer I was emerging myself in the word and now I don’t know what happened. This has really convicted me to remember the importance of progressing in my relAtionship with Christ.

You’re so blessed to be young and in Christ. Well, Nikki, life has a way of getting in the way! I totally understand. It can really be a struggle to maintain the needed disciplines (study, prayer etc…) on a consistent basis. Just never stop working at it. Sometimes I look at my life and ask myself what can I remove or adjust in order to have more time with God. Maybe you can try that to see if it helps? Keep pushing for consistency!